Achillies Injury - Complete Recovery Guide

Sport Injury Clinics are expensive places, I should know. So I thought why not share what I have learned through having my own injury. This may not be specific to everyone but I reckon this is a pretty good guide to anyone who has suffered or is suffering with an Achillies Injury. I have commented on the injury through older posts but I'd thought I would bring it all together in this Post.

OK lets rewind 9 weeks. This was the point to when I realised on a 12 mile run that I had to stop. The trouble with an Achillies injury is that although usually stiff first thing in the morning it warms up as you get up an about, so at the start of a run there is usually very little pain.

By the end of this specific run though I had pains shooting through my calf muscles that suggested enough was enough.

Although the Internet is a wonderful place to get advice, I decided I needed some proffesional advice personal to me.

The following is advice given to me for my specific injury. Please seek your own proffesional advice initially. But hopefully the advice below will be helpful to anyone who is suffering from a similar injury.

1. Using a foam roller

You can purchase a roller on the Internet or any good Sports Store. Firstly sit on the floor with your feet resting on the roller. Now lift yourself off the floor with your arms and hands at the side of you, put one leg on top of the other (as shown in the diagram) and roll yourself forward and back from the ankle to under the knee. As you roll back towards your heart push down more weight with your top leg to really get deep into the muscle. If you feel a particular spot, stop for a moment to give more time on that particular spot.

Make sure to work all around the muscles by turning your feet inwards and outwards to get to the side of the muscles. Spend about 3 minutes per leg.

To get a more intense workout on the muscles you can replace the roller for a tennis ball and really work on the problem areas.

For your information the two muscles that you are loosening here are the Gastrocnemius (the big bulky one) which attaches to the heel with the Achillies Tendon and the lower muscle the Soleus. In my case these muscles are so tight which is causing strain on the Achillies.

After completing the above for two weeks

2. Foot Exercises

The great thing about this exercise is that you can do this anywhere, any time. At your desk or on the bus! Probably not while you're driving though!

While sitting down extend your leg and gently pull your foot up towards you, twist to the left, point your toes down away from you and finally twist to the right. All the movement needs to be in the foot only from the ankle. This is a good exercise to get some strength back in the ankle area, aim to complete this for a few minutes each foot, 3 times a day.

3. One leg balance

Ok I'm guessing not many of us are expert tight rope walkers, so if you need something to grab onto near by you when you do this exercise I would recommend it!

This again gets strength back into the feet and through the core of the body. Raise one foot of the ground and what you're aiming for here is to keep balance for 2 minutes per leg. You will wobble around when first attempting this. Notice the small movements in the foot as you balance this is great in strengthing your feet and ankles.

4. Gastroc stretch

Remember this is the big bulky calf muscle. Stand in front of a wall in the stance as shown in the diagram. With feet flat you need to stretch out the back leg and lean forward slighty. The important thing here is to keep your back leg straight. Don't go to far into the stretch, you're looking for a 5 out of 10 feeling in the muscle. If it's hurting ease of a little and take in deep breaths while performing this exercise to get the oxygen to the muscle. Complete for a few minutes on each leg. 

5. Soleus stretch

This is the lower of the calf muscles. You peform this exercise exactly as the previous but this time, keeping your back leg foot flat bend your knee. This time you will feel the pull lower down. Again deep breathing with a few minutes on each leg and ease of the bend if you feel too much pain.

6. The Recovery Run

This is where I'm at now. I've been performing the above for about 5 weeks now (I have not run for 9). So the next step is getting back to running. Obviously this needs to be performed slowly and i'm afraid if you've not run for this sort of time, you are back to square one!

Firstly complete the two above stretches, walk for five minutes, before again stretching. Now a 5 minute slow jog (Any pain, STOP!). Stretch again, finish with a five minute walk and...you guessed it STRETCH again. When you're back home sitting in front of your computer reading the 'Running OK in the UK blog!!! Ice the Achillies, 3 minutes on, 3 minutes off. Repeat 3 times.

You now need to rest for a couple of days before repeating the above running protocol (you can still do all the above exercises in between). If everything was Ok then add 5 minutes to each run when you go out.

I hope the above is helpful to someone. It's a pretty long boring post if you are not suffering with this type of injury, but it is a very common one so maybe useful in the future but I hope not.

I've put in a couple of video links from the sportsinjuryclinic website which show the types of massage which can acompany the above exercises.

Barefoot Running?

Bit of a gap between post's. What with holiday season and my inability to run at the moment....Still injured.

Barefoot Running...It seems to be gaining a bit of momentum at the moment. It's starting to creep into mainstream running press. So in five years time will we all be coverted back to where we started?

Like many my first introduction to Barefoot running came when I read 'Born to Run' and my first reaction was no way, but since reading more about the subject...well I'm kinda sitting on the fence.

The reason we wear trainers is because basically our feet have got lazy over time. I for instance overpronate but if I was to gradually build up my barefoot running, the argument is my feet would actually correct themselves. Injuries would be a thing of the past?

Unlike 15000 BC there was not tarmac roads, broken glass and all manner of things that physically stop you from running barefoot. Even if you built yourself up with Barefoot training, and could run 50 miles, where could you run for that distance without incountering some sort of obstacle that otherwise would be easily overcome with trainers. I mean even the Tarahumara tribe wear a form of shoe albeit a basic one.

But we can now wear footwear such as the Vibram five finger footwear. Again proof that the argument for barefoot running is now mainstream, I mean we would not even have heard of such a product ten years ago.

I guess i'm still happy in my trainers especially on those cold wet days, but since I've been out injured for so long the thought has crossed my mind....Injury free? Barefoot running?

Like I said earlier the jury is out on this one. I'm not pro Barefoot running far from it, but I add this post to put the subject out there for argument.

Please let me know your thoughts on a growing subject.

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling!!!

First, A massive Congratulations to Mo Farah and Chris Thompson on their fabulous achievements in Barcelona this evening. Mo won the Gold in the 10000m race with Chris taking an impressive Silver. This takes Team GB straight to the top of the medals table after the 1st days events in the European Championships.

From a personal point of view, I have made good progress in recovering from my Achillies injury. Not so much in the healing process but the learning process.

After a couple of months of easing back on the running, self medicating and reading just about everything on the Internet that there is about Achillies injuries, I came to the conclusion that.....None of this works! The bottom line is, get help. As great as the Internet is, there is so much contradictory information out there, you just don't know what is correct and none of it is specific to you.

So I went for proffesional help. I had heard from an Episode of Marathon Talk about a place down in Hove near Brighton called Stride UK. There is also a Sports Therapists Clinic that works along side them called Studio 57 . I was so impressed and glad I booked an appointment with them, what I got out of being there an hour and a half was much more than I got from trawling through the internet for a couple of months.

Lily looked after me, and after explaining my injury to her and my background in running it appeared obvious that I basically wasn't looking after myself properly, ie. Not stretching,Foam rolling etc.

Most my problems lie in the fact that my muscles especially my calf's are extremeley tense and tight which is not allowing the mechanism of my lower legs to work properly putting strain on the Achillies and thus causing injury.( I think that's basically it, although we went into alot more depth of the muscle make up etc. That of which i'll leave to the experts to explain).

After a deep massage of the calf muscle and ultra sound on the Achillies injury I was given a demonstration into Foam Rolling. I have a list of other techniques to use with the roller but the one I'm going to share here is specific for my injury.

Sitting on the floor with the lower legs on the roller near the ankle. You cross one leg over the other, lift yourself off the floor and gently roll the calf over the roller. To get to the whole muscle it is important to get to the outside and inside of the muscle also, which can be achieved by turning your feet outwards and in.







**Please note you should get proffesional advice
 before performing these exercises, I'm no therapist and like I said the Internet's full of advice but not all specific to ourselves**

So it's two more weeks rest and foam rolling before introducing some stretching for the calfs and Achillies before getting back into some light training again.

I'm missing the running and at times you get so frustrated in being injured you start thinking what's the point. But I have proper guidance in getting better now, and also who can't be inspired by that great Team GB performance tonight in Barcelona.

Target...Windsor

After a frustrating couple of months with my achillies injury, I now have a new focus and goal; The Windsor half Marathon http://www.runwindsor.com/

74 days and counting. The time period is no problem and I'm back up to running 10 miles (12 this coming Friday). It's just my nagging achillies that are my only worry at present. But I'm putting in plenty of rest days in between runs, Icing, Wearing heel supports in my trainers and my everyday shoes, and my new secret weapon......Glucosamine and Chondroitin!

Someone swore by it on the Internet, and I have to admit I've noticed a difference.

I've also been trying out some pace training that I learnt from Episode 25 of the Podcast Marathon Talk http://www.marathontalk.com/archive/2010/6/29/episode-25-liz-yelling.html You basically benchmark your fitness by running one mile easy, one mile steady and one mile hard. My results came out like this:

Mile 1 - 9:36

Mile 2 - 8:12
Mile 3 - 7:05
 
Great fun (Well maybe not the last mile!) and gives you some good feedback.
 
I don't if it's the summer months, barbecues and the World Cup, but my search for a six pack is becoming a bit desperate at the moment. I've had some fleeting visits with the Swimming Pool, The Wii Fit and the bike for some cross training but the battle with the wrong foods goes on (although I do eat a lot of good as well). But I'm determined to get back on top of this.....Just not sure when?
 

 
That's life in my running world at the moment. A big thanks to everyone who stops by and takes a look at my blog. I know some of you from the Daily Mile and to The followers over there on the right of the Blog. Thanks again. You can also find me most days on the brilliant dailymile http://www.dailymile.com/people/ean371#ref=tophd

Bye for Now...Ian.

Tupper#3

Tupper#3 Click Image to Enlarge

Ouch!

I finally can consider myself a runner….No I have not yet completed a Marathon or won a 10K or even run a 4 minute mile, but I do have……Achillies Tendonitis!!!

I’ve searched the internet and if it helps anyone, I have found out:

• I have a running injury which apparently accounts for 11% of all running injuries.
• The Achilles tendon is the largest and strongest tendon in the body and is located at the back of the ankle which attaches to the heel bone, and connects the leg muscles to the foot.
• Achilles tendonitis can be either acute (occurring over a period of a few days) or chronic (occurring over a longer period).
• It's the most frequently ruptured tendon in the body

 Causes

 

• Increase in activity (either distance,speed or hills). Running up hills - the achilles tendon has to stretch more than normal on every stride.
• Change of footwear or training surface.
• Weak or tight calf muscles.
• Overpronation can place an increased strain on the Achilles tendon. As the foot rolls in (flattens) the lower leg also rotates inwards which places twisting stresses on the tendon.
• Not that I do but, wearing high heels constantly shortens the tendon and calf muscles. When changing to exercise in running shoes, the tendon is stretched beyond its normal range which places a strain on the tendon.(One for the ladies!)

 Symptoms

 

• Localised pain along the tendon during or a few hours after running.
• Tenderness of the tendon about 3-4cm above the point where it joins the heel bone, especially first thing in the morning
• Swelling or thickening around the tendon

 Treatment

 

• Rest. Stop your regular sport which has aggravated the tendon. You can still cross train with swimming or cycling
• Pain relief anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen
• Temporary benefit from a little extra padding under the heel. The temporary heel padding reduces the length of Achilles tendon when stretching is made with each stride. (I’m going to put the old insoles from my previous trainers and put them on top of the insole in my new trainer).
• Massage. I’ve been trying over the last few days the techniques in the video below which seems to be helping.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yty47jNGJvQ&feature=related

 

And hey, It happens to the best of us!!!

 

Thai Green Chitty Curry

Another of my recpies based on the Famous Thai Green Curry. Packed with Carbs and Protein, another great and tasty dish for us runners. I've tried this before using a reduced fat version of the Coconut Milk to try to be more healthy but it creates a runny sauce at the end. Far better to go for the full fat version and a nice thick creamy sauce....well we're allowed a few treats are we not?

Serves 4

Ingredients

• Bunch of Fresh Corriander Leaves
• 1 tbsp of Fresh chopped Mint Leaves
• 2 sticks of Lemon Grass
• Bunch of Spring Onions
• 2 Cloves Garlic
• 2 Red Chilli's
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 inch Fresh Ginger
• 1 tsp Fennel Seeds
• 1 tsp Corriander Seeds
• 1 tsp Ground Cumin
• 75g Dwarf Beans (or Green Beans)
• 1 tbsp Sesame Seeds
• 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
• 1 tbsp Fish Sauce
• 400ml Coconut Milk
• 500g King Prawns (Cooked)
• Salt
• Pepper
• Thai Fragrant Rice

Method

• Firstly you need to prepare your paste. Finely chop the Garlic Cloves and Lemon Grass sticks and put into either a food blender or mortar bowl. Add the Fennel Seeds,Corriander Seeds,Gound Cumin and Lime Juice and with your blender or by grinding with a Pestle crush the ingredients together until they combine to form a rough paste.
• Finally Chop your Cilli's, Spring Onions,Dwarf Beans and Mint. Your preperation is done. Now for the quick and easy cooking part.

• Heat the oil in a pan and when at a good heat add the Spring Onions and Chilli's. Keep the pan moving so the ingredients don't burn or stick in the pan.
• After about a minute, grate in the Fresh Ginger and continue stir frying for another minute.
• Add the paste and give that a little cook through for a further minute.
• Add the Coconut Milk, Beans, Mint and Fish Sauce, give a good stir and season, allow to come to the boil and then reduce the heat and Cover.
• You can let the Sauce simmer from anywhere between 15 and 25 minutes.
• In ths time Cook and Prepare your rice.
• Finally add your Prawns to the sauce and let them warm through for 5 minutes.
• Plate up the Rice and spoon on your Prawns and Sauce.
• To finish, add a sprig of Fresh Corriander and sprinkle over the Sesame Seeds.
• Serve, Enjoy with a nice Glass of White Wine (Just a small one! Remember you have that 6 miler tomorrow!!!)

This can just as easily be made using Chicken. Just add cubed Chicken Breast at the beginning when you heat the oil and add the Garlic and Chilli's.